A severe rash prompted a man from a rural area to come to town to be examined by one of my colleagues. After the usual history-taking followed by a series of tests, the physician advised the patient that he would have to get rid of the dog that was evidently causing the allergic reaction. As the man was preparing to leave the office, my colleague asked him out of curiosity if he planned to sell the animal or give it away. “Neither one,” the patient replied. “I’m going to get me one of them second opinions I been reading about. It’s a lot easier to find a doctor than a good bird dog.”

    – George Hawkins, M.D. in Medical Economics, in Reader’s Digest, January, 1982.

 Sometimes we have difficulty facing the obvious. There is a good illustration of this in Numbers 22. Balaam found himself arguing with his donkey and the animal was talking back. Now he should have noticed there was something wrong with this picture. However, with money and prestige on the table, he was solely focused on one thing and that was having his way in the matter.

Numbers 22:31

Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand; and he bowed his head and fell flat on his face.

Don’t wait for God to use another tool outside His Word to get your attention.

Give it some thought and don’t horse around with God’s leading in your life.

Gary

“And they all lived happily ever after,” is the way we want our stories to end. However, that is not the way most real-life experiences come to a conclusion. It’s hard to face the reality that as bad as it is, it will only get worse.

Enters the Man, Jesus:

Luke 22:42

saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”

He is facing the torture of the cross and the weight of the sins of the world. This was necessary for people like you and me. He was going through this for others. What if Abraham hadn’t left Ur of the Chaldees? My mother-in-law would bite her bottom lip when faced with a difficult decision and then do it.

Let’s face it, it is not always an easy call.

Give it some thought.

Gary

“Friendship … is born at the moment when one man says to another “What! You too? I thought that no one but myself . . .”

― C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

Transference occurs when we respond to a newspaper article by saying, “Wow, that could have been me.”  How can advertising be effective unless all humans basically think alike? Does the Bible address this phenomenon? Yes. That is why believers are instructed not to be thinking like the natural man.

Ephesians 4:22-24 

To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

Give it some thought.

Gary

The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.

-Walt Disney

We are doing something every day, whether it is good or bad.  Some days we get ahead and some days we fall behind. Twenty-four hours can find us feeling happy, and the next twenty-four can find us feeling sad. We are, however, expending calories in all pursuits. Let’s burn them up with doing good.

Acts 10:38

How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good…

What an example for us to follow. It’s not rocket science. Just go out there and do good, not because you have to, but because you want to.

Think about it.

Gary

There was once a general, who lost two-thirds of all the battles he fought in the American Revolution. Think about that… in all of his battles… 66.6% of the time, HE LOST!!!  That general’s name… was George Washington. You know his name today because, ultimately, he won the war.

1 Peter 5:10 

And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

James 1:2-4 

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

The boxers who made it to the top had been knocked down many times.

Give it some thought.

Gary

High school varsity basketball games use 8-minute quarters. That is the timeframe when all effort has to be put forth, with players knowing that every second counts and none can be replayed for a do-over. When the buzzer sounds at the end of the fourth quarter, that’s it. Players are constantly checking the clock, especially in a close game.

That brings me to what Scripture has to say about time.

Psalm 90:12 

So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

Colossians 4:5 

Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

Play to win now, for time waits for no man. Think about it.

Gary

A foul in basketball is a rule-breaking action that results in a loss of possession and possible free throws for the other team. If a player commits five fouls during a game, he is put out of action for the remaining time. Sitting on the bench, watching others play, is horrible.

In life, we will commit fouls both intentionally and unintentionally. However, effort should be made to keep those to a minimum. We do hurt others at times and that can’t be avoided in such close action.

1 John 1:8 

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

Galatians 5:26 

Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

You can’t stay away from fouls, and the game organizers recognized that. It is the reason for a five-limit.

Careful out there and give it some thought.

Gary